On Monday evening, a 14-year-old Palestinian boy identified as Moataz Daghlas was reportedly shot dead by Israeli forces during an operation in the occupied West Bank village of Burqa, northwest of Nablus. According to the Palestinian health ministry, Daghlas was killed amidst clashes where stones were allegedly thrown at Israeli vehicles. The Israeli military claimed that soldiers responded to a perceived threat by firing towards "several terrorists" who intended to hurl stones in the area.
The Palestinian Red Crescent stated that its teams treated two individuals with gunshot wounds but could not reach a third wounded person due to Israeli forces blocking access and detaining three volunteer paramedics. Relatives of Moataz Daghlas alleged that Israeli authorities were withholding his body after the incident.
Two other Palestinians, a 17-year-old child and a 19-year-old man, sustained injuries in the raid as well, according to Palestinian news agency Wafa. The UN has reported that at least 98 Palestinians, including 22 children, have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers in the West Bank since the beginning of the year. Over the same period, six Israelis have also been killed by Palestinians in the region, as per UN data.
The rules of engagement for Israeli forces were broadened following Hamas-led attacks on Israel in October 2023, providing soldiers with increased discretion to use lethal force against perceived threats. The UN Human Rights Office has verified the killing of 241 Palestinian children by Israeli security forces and settlers in the West Bank since then, mostly teenage boys who were allegedly engaged in stone-throwing activities. However, the UN office found that none of the children killed while involved in confrontations with Israeli forces had posed an imminent threat to life, which is the only legal justification for the use of lethal force under international law in the West Bank.